Mob Beats 50-Year-Old Man To Death After Rumours That He Ate Beef: Report

NOIDA, INDIA JUNE 8: Heavy police force at Dadri area after BJP leader Vijay Pandit was shot dead by four unidentified persons in Dadri area on Saturday night, on June 8, 2014 in Noida, India. Several vehicles were set on fire and a PCR van and a bus were vandalized. Protesters blocked NH-91, which connects Bulandshahr with Ghaziabad, for hours, demanding the arrest of the two men who had opened fire on Vijay Pandit. Four people were detained on Sunday in connection with the murder of a BJP leader in Greater Noida. (Photo by Sunil Ghosh/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

A 50-year-old man was lynched to death and his 22-year-old son severely injured in UP’s Bisara village, 45 km from the national capital, after rumours spread that the family ate beef, according to a report in the Indian Express. Police have arrested six people allegedly involved in the attack.

Mohammad Akhlaq was dragged outside from his house on Monday and hit with bricks by a raging mob after rumours that the family stored beef in their fridge. The victim's daughter Sajida said the meat found in the fridge was mutton and not beef, the report said.

It all started when a calf went missing in the village where the family had lived for several generations. The calf was spotted at a field near Akhlaq's house and a rumour was spread that he was seen by people carrying a polythene bag that contained meat of the calf. A group of people reached the temple and started agitating. The rumour spread like wildfire and the mob reached Akhlaq's house.

"Every time there was a feast in this house, Hindu residents of the village would attend such functions. Even on Bakr-Id, we had guests. But suddenly they started doubting us. There was some mutton in the fridge which was taken away yesterday. They thought it was beef. The police have taken it for examination. If the results prove that it was not beef, will they bring back my dead father?" IE quoted Sajida as saying.

The arrest of the six led to violence at the village.

Residents assembled near the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) office and damaged two police vehicles. Police resorted to lathicharge and a 20-year-old welder was hit by a bullet.